LONDON – David Mackenzie's visceral and violent prison drama Starred Up leads the pack at this year's British Independent Film Awards with eight nominations.

Mackenzie is in the race for best director and his movie is nominated for the event's top prize of best British independent film, while the film's front-of-camera talent scored a best actor nomination for Jack O’Connell and best supporting actor nominations for Rupert Friend and Ben Mendelsohn.

The nominations for the 16th annual Moet British Independent Film Awards were announced today at St. Martins Lane in London by actor, BIFA patron and previous winner Ewan McGregor.The indie awards are considered the most prestigious U.K. film honors behind the BAFTAs.

The Selfish Giant picked up seven nominations and Filth, Metro Manila and Le Week-end all picked up five apiece.

To win the evening's top prize of best British film, Starred Up will have to edge out Metro Manila, Philomena, The Selfish Giant and Le Week-end.

And in the best director category, Mackenzie is up against Jon S. Baird (Filth), Clio Barnard (The Selfish Giant), Sean Ellis (Metro Manila) and Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin).

O’Connell is challenged in the best actor category by Jim Broadbent for Le Week-end, Steve Coogan for Philomena, Tom Hardy for Locke and James McAvoy for Filth.

Nominations for best actress go to Judi Dench for Philomena, Lindsay Duncan for Le Week-end, Scarlett Johansson for Under The Skin, Felicity Jones for The Invisible Woman and Saoirse Ronan for How I Live Now.

Joining Starred Up's Friend and Mendelsohn in the race for the best supporting actor prize is John Arcilla for MetroManila, Jeff Goldblum for Le Week-end and Eddie Marsan for Filth.

Siobhan Finneran for The Selfish Giant, Shirley Henderson for Filth, Imogen Poots for The Look of Love, Kristin Scott Thomas for The Invisible Woman and Mia Wasikowska for The Double are all nominated for the best supporting actress award.

Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha are carrying U.S. hopes in the best international independent film category at the awards, both competing with Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue Is the Warmest Color, Paolo Sorrentino's The Great Beauty and Wadjda, directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour.

The pre-selection committee of 70 members viewed over 200 films from which the nominations were selected on by ballot.

The winners will be decided by an independent jury, which this year is chaired by director Penny Woolcock and includes actresses Antonia Campbell-Hughes, MyAnna Buring and NataschaMcElhone, alongside actor Art Malik and James Floyd and directors Ate de Jong, Bart Layton, Julien Temple and Sally El Hosaini, as well as producers Liza Marshall, Steve Hamilton Shaw and Pippa Harris, dialect coach Jill McCullough, musician Roland Gift and costume designer Sandy Powell.

BIFA joint directors Johanna von Fischer and Tessa Collinson said 2013 stood out as an "extremely competitive year" for the nominees.

"The variety of films submitted reached a new level this year, with films covering a range of subject matters and genres that perfectly showcase the diversity and creativity at work in British independent filmmaking today," the pair said.

This year's winners will be the first to receive the newly launched trophy designed by Fredrikson Stallard, created by Swarovski.

Ben Roberts, director of the British Film Institute film fund whose cash pool contributed to the development and production of a slew of nominees, including Under the Skin, Starred Up and The Selfish Giant said: "Where other awards sometimes fear to tread, the BIFAs puts the wild creativity of British independent filmmaking front and center."

The nods will be dished out at a gala on the evening of Dec. 8, hosted by actor and BIFA patron James Nesbitt.

The full list of nominees is below.

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM

Sponsored by Moët & Chandon

Metro Manila

Philomena

The Selfish Giant

Starred Up

Le Week-end

BEST DIRECTOR

Sponsored by AllCity & Intermission

Jon S. Baird – Filth

Clio Barnard – The Selfish Giant

Sean Ellis – Metro Manila

Jonathan Glazer – Under the Skin

David Mackenzie – Starred Up

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR]

Sponsored by 3 Mills Studios

Charlie Cattrall – Titus

Tina Gharavi – I Am Nasrine

Jeremy Lovering – In Fear

Omid Nooshin – Last Passenger

Paul Wright – For Those in Peril

BEST SCREENPLAY

Jonathan Asser – Starred Up

Clio Barnard – The Selfish Giant

Steven Knight – Locke

Hanif Kureishi – Le Week-end

Jeff Pope, Steve Coogan – Philomena

BEST ACTRESS

Sponsored by M.A.C Cosmetics

Judi Dench – Philomena

Lindsay Duncan – Le Week-end

Scarlett Johansson – Under the Skin

Felicity Jones – The Invisible Woman

Saoirse Ronan – How I Live Now

BEST ACTOR

Sponsored by BBC Films

Jim Broadbent – Le Week-end

Steve Coogan – Philomena

Tom Hardy – Locke

Jack O'Connell – Starred Up

James McAvoy – Filth

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Siobhan Finneran – The Selfish Giant

Shirley Henderson – Filth

Imogen Poots – The Look Of Love

Kristin Scott Thomas – The Invisible Woman

Mia Wasikowska – The Double

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Sponsored by Sanderson & St Martins Lane

John Arcilla – Metro Manila

Rupert Friend – Starred Up

Jeff Goldblum – Le Week-end

Eddie Marsan – Filth

Ben Mendelsohn – Starred Up

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER

Sponsored by Studiocanal

Harley Bird – How ILiveNow

Conner Chapman/ Shaun Thomas – TheSelfishGiant

Caity Lotz – TheMachine

Jake Macapagal – MetroManila

Chloe Pirrie – Shell

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION

Sponsored by Company3

A Field in England

Filth

Metro Manila

The Selfish Giant

Starred Up

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT

Sponsored by LightBrigade Media

Shaheen Baig – Casting – Starred Up

Johnnie Burn – Sound Design – Under the Skin

Amy Hubbard – Casting – The Selfish Giant

Mica Levi – Music – Under the Skin

Justine Wright – Editing – Locke

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer

The Great Hip Hop Hoax

The Moo Man

The Spirit of '45

The Stone Roses: Made of Stone

BEST BRITISH SHORT

Supported by BFI NET.WORK

L'Assenza

Dr Easy

Dylan's Room

Jonah

Z1

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM

Blue Is the Warmest Color

Blue Jasmine

Frances Ha

The Great Beauty

Wadjda

THE RAINDANCE AWARD

Sponsored by Wentworth Media and Arts

Everyone’s Going to Die

The Machine

The Patrol

Sleeping Dogs

Titus

THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD (for outstanding contribution by an actor to British Film)